


Braveheart (DISCONTINUED)

by KyeKagerin



Category: Original Work
Genre: Coming Out, Crushes, Disability, Dysfunctional Family, F/F, F/M, Gen, Innocence, Loads of Angst, M/M, Major Illness, Multi, OR IS THERE, Other, Rating May Change, Rejection, Rivalry, Running Away, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trans Character, fight me, lgbtqa+, so many ships that won't happen, so much fluff it's sick, would you look at that it's angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-14 08:31:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16909617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyeKagerin/pseuds/KyeKagerin
Summary: My name is Carys Amaranth-Caparelli Kyndokai. I like to draw and write, I like science, and I almost went into a coma as a kid, but I'm safe now.





	1. Astronomically Speaking

When it came to communication, everyone in my family practically had their own language. My mother, whom I lived with until the age of eleven, spoke through the graceful movements of dance and the fresh wafts of freshly baked linzer tarts. My father, whom I currently lived with conversated through the click clacking of his work computer's keyboard and the sound of boiling water. Waverley, my stepmother, chattered through affectionate tousles and an occasional gift such as a small toy or clothing out of approval. My brother's vocabulary was the vast variety of sounds from his video games and the turning of pages in his textbook. 

As for my dialect, however- my dialect consisted of what felt normal in the world of someone with both physical and mental illness, as well as the world of artistry. I couldn't help but occasionally grunt or clear my throat, which often kept me from shouting profanities or having an outburst. There were also the crisp sounds of Pilot pens meeting paper and Ticonderoga pencils that I often kept large amounts of scribbling against thick bristol paper. 

"Alright, sweetie, we're heading out to dinner now. Your friend Avias is still taking you to that new science museum, right?" 

"Mhm." 

"Great. Stay safe and call if you need anything, okay?" As my dad drove off, Avias's pristine black Jeep pulled into the vacant driveway, with her smiling and waving. I smiled and waved back, climbing into the front seat cautiously. I liked Avias. I gave her small homemade gifts like art and stories and mini candles, and in return, she gave me gentle hair tousles and hugs. She was my best friend- she always looked out for me, and when I got anxious, she would comfort me by giving me something to do and talking to me. 

"So, how's your day been?" 

"It's been pretty good, and yours?" I shaped my blue Play-Doh into a ball, trying to make it into a perfect ball out of habit. Then I flattened it. 

"Likewise. How's the writing going?" We rounded a corner, then sat at a stop light patiently. 

"It's going pretty well, but I can't figure out another interaction for Amaranth." Amaranth was not only part of my middle name, yet was also a character I made up- she was a magical deer-human hybrid, and liked astrology and crystal necklaces. 

"Ah. Well, it'll come to you eventually. I loved the lavender mini candle you gave me, by the way. It was pretty." She adjusted her glasses and smiled, and before I had noticed, we were parking in a garage next to the museum. 

"Aaaand, we're here." I carefully held my fidget as I opened the car door, stepped out and closed it, following my best friend. As we descended to the ground level and I held open the museum door for her, I took in the air specific to the more mature museums that seemed to linger- the scent of age, like the fruity scent of the wood, or the antique whiffs of the metal which radiated freely in the tall rooms. 

Avias seemed fascinated herself- she marveled at the satellite and rocket models that decorated the ceiling in awe (she wanted to be a rocket scientist, I remembered from one of the conversations that we had during one of the times she wasn't as busy with her workload), identifying and describing each and every one as if she were Olympia LePoint herself. 

"I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." 

"Okay." Once I was sure that she wasn't looking back and had gone off, I walked into the gift shop that resided just around the corner. As I looked around, I found the perfect gift to give her. A pristine, recent diecast model had come out of the International Space Station, and taking careful track of time, I picked it off the shelf amongst all of the other models. Avias always spoke of how she was saving up for a model much like this one that I had picked out, and considering her birthday was just a few days away, I decided to gift her early. After tucking my credit card back into my pocket, I carefully arranged the box in the bag (so that she couldn't see it), then walked over to a modern bench by the ladies restroom, in which I had perfectly timed somehow, as we were back on our feet and through the museum within seconds. 

"What's the bag for?" 

"Oh, just a gift for my dad." 

We ventured through many exhibits, our conversation topics ranging from the concept art of the Mars Rover to the tiny holes in my fingerprint that made it different from anybody else's. As time had flew by, the two of us found ourselves sitting on a blanket (in which Avias provided) eating dinner in the park, stargazing peacefully. We did this every now and then since winter break had started, merely as a way to catch up with each other and to just talk like best friends did. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a white and gold gift bag resting beside her. That wasn't with us before. 

"Hey, Carys?" 

"Yes?" 

"I made you something." She reached into the bag, withdrawing a nicely crocheted light gray hat, then adjusted her glasses, carefully placing the hat atop my head. I adjusted it slightly. "I like it a lot, thank you." Out of habit, I hugged Avias (as she always did to me when I gave her a gift), giving her a light squeeze. As we parted, I remembered something. The model. "Hey, I got you something, too." I carefully handed the bag over to her, then watched her, smiling as she parted the tissue paper and gasped in shock. 

"Oh my God, you- This is- Oh, _Carys! _" My best friend hugged me tightly, giving me a firm squeeze.__

__"Carys, you didn't have to! Oh my goodness, thank you!" I smiled._ _

__"You're very welcome- happy early birthday, I wanted to give it to you now, so I wouldn't forget."_ _

__"Certainly, you must expect something back, don't you?" I shook my head._ _

__"Our friendship is a good enough gift for me, really."_ _

__"Aw, how sweet." She hugged me again. "Well, as much as I'd love to stay out here with you, it is getting a little late. Ready for me to take you back home?" I nodded, adjusted my hat, helped her pack up, and as she dropped me off at the door, gave her one last hug for the night._ _

__"Goodnight, thank you!"_ _

__"Good night!"_ _

__I slept pretty well that night._ _


	2. Sailors and Aces

I walked into school the next morning, sat through 4 hours of classes, then made my way to the main courtyard for lunch rather energetically, today. I sat at my usual spot on a concrete beam that resided by the trees, where another one of my friends, Aileuron, tended to sit and study.

"Hello, friend!"

"Hello!"

We hugged, as we usually did when we saw each other, her strong arms enveloping my frame (which was nearly tiny compared to hers) with a light squeeze.

I used to have a crush on Aileuron in my freshman year. She was tall, quite muscular, had some of the funniest stories from her time in her hometown, and liked old music. She also sailed in her free time. However, she was straight (even though I identified as a man, she knew me before I decided to do so, which was awkward), and had eyes for someone else. Which was okay on my end, since we made for a good pair of friends.

"So, how's life?"

"Pretty good, you?"

"Satisfactory."

"That's a big mood," she replied, offering a chip to me. I took it, giving her a few of my saltine crackers in return. Suddenly, she groaned.

"Something wrong?" I looked over at her, only to find her thumbs typing maniacally fast.

"My dog just ate another one of my little sister's rare collectible dolls."

"Oh," I took another bite of tofu from my thermos. "what's his name?"

"Wiffle. You know, like the bat and ball? He's a Great Dane, black and white with a hint of brown." She set her phone down.

"Aw, cute. But not cute for eating your sister's stuff."

"Yeah," Aileuron took a second to pop another chip into her mouth. "he's been doing it for a while now. He knows it's bad, but he does it anyway. On top of that, my mom is on a business trip, and I've been watching the house, which means I have to deal with it myself."

"Sounds hard." Having finished my tofu while listening, I closed up my thermos and took a sip from my chocolate high protein shake. "I have a dog, too. He's at my mom's house, and he's a mini schnauzer, all black with a little silver stripe on his back. He's grouchy with me, though."

"Mood." She ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich now, studying from her Rocketbook. I pulled out my Folklore & Mythology III notebook, twirling a Pilot pen in my hand absentmindedly.

* * *

A few hours had gone by, and school was finally over for the day. I knocked on the door to Tales's door, and as we hugged, I felt a familiar air. It was quite tense; Tales's parents used my given pronouns instead of my preferred, which was awkward at first, but I later learned that they weren't exactly accepting when it came to associating with those who identified with a different gender or even seemed to like the same sex.

We said "hi" to all nine of her siblings, took off our shoes, and flopped onto her twin-sized bed languidly.

"How's life?"

"Pretty good, you?"

"Not too bad." I flipped open to the next blank page in my saturated royal purple sketchbook, twirling a lime Papermate pencil in my right hand lazily. Tales was click-clacking away at her laptop's keyboard, flipping between tabs occasionally. Sketching lazily, I bantered with my friend.

"You know, I'm not going to lie, I've always been curious how crushes work."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I may be ace, but I'm trying to understand how attraction really works. What's it like?"

I chuckled. "It's interesting, really. You look at someone, you get these weird feelings, you can't stop thinking about them, and next thing you know, you're confessing under a cherry blossom tree after school."

Tales laughed. "I only get squishes, for some reason. It's like what you said, except you want to be their friend, and nothing else."

"Funny you say that, because I only get crushes. It's weird. It's like I confess to a crush, get rejected, and sprout another one in place of it. Being pan is strange like that." I found myself sketching a head, and started working on the eyes. She started sketching herself; her laptop sat in between us, open and buzzing Set It Off in the background. "You know Carys is a female name, right?" she inquired. "Yeah, I couldn't think of a better guy name."

"Alright, I'm looking this up. I'm telling you, we need to find a more masculine name for you."

Quietly, the door opened, and one of Tales's older sisters, Nautica, walked in with her sketchbook. "What's good?"

"We're finding a better name for Carys. Something more... boyish."

"Ah." Nautica flopped onto the end of the bed, opening her sketchbook and turning on her phone. Tales turned her laptop screen over to me. "See?" I giggled passively. "Alright, alright, I'm thinking. Lysander?"

"Nah, too lordy."

"Caius?"

"Ehhhhhh."

"What about Kye? Like K-Y-E?" Nautica asked, scrolling on her phone.

"That's nice, actually. I like that." I murmured, erasing a few stray lines.

"Yeah, that actually works. Lemme write that down." Tales muttered, scribbling something into the top corner of the page in her sketchbook, then continuing her drawing. "Speaking of names, I'm working on this drawing of a guy named Mistletoe, but I can't seem to come up with a design. Any ideas?"

"What about something like a fur jacket?"


End file.
